April was a huge month for Indian movies on Netflix with more than forty titles added! The seven Aamir Khan Productions movies that expired in December, then returned in January, and then expired once more in March are back, hopefully for an extended stay this time. Twenty animated flicks for kids — most of them featuring the Laurel-and-Hardy-inspired duo Motu and Patlu — were added to the catalog. And Netflix debuted a new collection of its Original reality series The Big Day, along with three new Original films. Here are all of the new Indian movies and TV series added to Netflix in April 2021.
N = Netflix Original
New Indian Movies on Netflix: April 2021
3 Idiots (2009)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 163 Minutes
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi
Genre: Comedy | Added to Netflix: April 1
Five years after graduating from an elite engineering school, two friends and their nemesis set out to find an eccentric former classmate who challenged the college’s toxic competitive culture. Besides being hilarious, 3 Idiots‘ story is so universal that the film won awards at multiple international film festivals and spawned a Mexican remake called 3 Idiotas.
Ferrari Ki Sawaari (2012)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 133 Minutes
Director: Rajesh Mapuskar
Cast: Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Ritwik Sahore
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family | Added to Netflix: April 1
A father in need of money “borrows” a Ferrari from a famous cricketer without asking, and his plans to secretly return it go awry. Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a cute family drama that’s well-acted, but weird pacing and too many cricket scenes make it a slog.
Irul (2021)
Language: Malayalam
Runtime: 91 Minutes
Director: Naseef Yusuf Izuddin
Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir, Dharshana Rajendran
Genre: Mystery, Crime Thriller | Added to Netflix: April 1
Mystery writer Alex takes his girlfriend Archana on an off-the-grid romantic trip, but their car breaks down en route. They seek shelter at a nearby home, only for the homeowner to reveal himself to be a critic of Alex’s work — particularly of the details in Alex’s book about a real-life serial killer. Could Archana be trapped with an actual murderer?
Madam Chief Minister (2021)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 121 Minutes
Director: Subhash Kapoor
Cast: Richa Chadha, Saurab Shukla, Manav Kaul
Genre: Political Drama | Added to Netflix: April 1
A Dalit activist (played by Richa Chadha) rises out of poverty to become the first woman elected to serve as Chief Minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh, learning along the way how to navigate the ruthless and corrupt world of state politics.
Wazir (2016)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 97 Minutes
Director: Bejoy Nambiar
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Amitabh Bachchan, Aditi Rao Hydari
Genre: Thriller | Added to Netflix: April 1
In the course of fulfilling his duty, anti-terrorism officer Daanish makes a choice that has devastating consequences for his family. He tries to cope with his guilt by learning chess from his daughter’s instructor — but the teacher has his own motives for helping Daanish. The opening action sequence of this decent thriller is jaw-dropping.
Mandela (2021)
Language: Tamil
Runtime: 140 Minutes
Director: Madonne Ashwin
Cast: Yogi Babu, Sheela Rajkumar, Sangili Murugan
Genre: Political Satire | Added to Netflix: April 5
The results of a hotly contested election in a small village hinge on an unexpected swing voter: a barber named Nelson Mandela. The president of the Tamil Nadu Barbers Welfare Association condemned the film for denigrating the image of barbers.
Roohi (2021)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 133 Minutes
Director: Hardik Mehta
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Sharma
Genre: Horror Comedy | Added to Netflix: April 8
Two hired kidnappers find themselves in a pickle when one of them falls in love with the woman they kidnapped and the other with the demonic spirit possessing her. Production house Maddock Films greenlit Roohi after the surprise critical and box office success of the 2018 horror comedy Stree (which is very, very funny and also available on Netflix).
Motu Patlu: Kung Fu Kings (2014)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 96 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty, Shailendra Pandey, Sunil Sinha
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 13
This is the first of four Kung Fu Kings titles in the Motu Patlu series of animated movies. Round Motu and lanky Patlu learn Kung Fu in order to defeat a notorious martial artist who insults the residents of their town.
Motu Patlu: Kung Fu Kings 4 – The Challenge of Kung Fu Brothers (2018)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 86 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty, Sanket Mhatre, Kamal Chaturvedi
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 13
Motu and Patlu train in Japan for an epic battle against two wicked brothers.
Motu Patlu in Hong Kong: Kung Fu Kings 3 (2017)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 84 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty, Sankalp Rastogi, Anamaya Varma
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 13
Motu trains with a boneless master to defeat a dangerous foe in Hong Kong.
Motu Patlu in the City of Gold (2018)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 77 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty, Ganesh Diweker, Arpita Vora
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 13
An evil horseback rider challenges Motu and Patlu to find a forgotten city of gold.
Motu Patlu the Superheroes: Supervillains from Mars (2019)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 79 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 13
The world’s only hope against three space thieves? Motu and Patlu!
Shiva: Journey to Plunotaria (2019)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 80 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 13
Kid superhero Shiva must thwart the schemes of a mad scientist from the planet Plunotaria.
Shiva: The Secret World of Vedas City (2017)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 78 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 13
The citizens of Vedas city need Shiva’s help when a prince claims the city as his own.
Shiva vs Autobots (2018)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 79 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 13
Shiva saves the day when a villain deploys a gadget that sends vehicles spinning out of control.
Uppena (2021)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 147 Minutes
Director: Buchi Babu Sana
Cast: Panja Vaisshnav Tej, Krithi Shetty, Vijay Sethupathi
Genre: Romantic Drama | Added to Netflix: April 13
17-year-old Krithi Shetty makes her debut in a leading role in Uppena (“High Tide“), a romantic drama that deals with themes of masculinity and caste. A lowly fisherman in a small town falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a wealthy local landowner who will go to any length to protect his family’s honor and status.
Tuesdays and Fridays (2021)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 105 Minutes
Director: Taranveer Singh
Cast: Anmol Thakeria Dhillon, Jhataleka, Niki Walia
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: April 15
Hindi-film newcomers Anmol Thakeria Dhillon and Jhataleka star in the romantic comedy Tuesdays and Fridays as a pair of successful but commitment-phobic millennials. In order to keep from getting too attached to one another, they agree to meet for dates just two days a week — except their plan isn’t as foolproof as they thought it would be.
Ajeeb Dastaans (2021) N
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 142 Minutes
Directors: Neeraj Ghaywan, Kayoze Irani, Shashank Khaitan, Raj Mehta
Cast: Aditi Rao Hydari, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Shefali Shah
Genre: Drama, Romance, Anthology| Added to Netflix: April 16
This anthology of four short films from four different directors explores moral dilemmas and fragile relationships under stress. Actor Kayoze Irani (son of Boman Irani) makes his directorial debut with his short “Ankahi.” Critical consensus deems Sacred Games Season 2 director Neeraj Ghaywan’s film “Geeli Pucchi” the best of the bunch.
Keymon and Nani in Space Adventure (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 75 Minutes
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 20
Rohan and his magical monkey pal Keymon must rescue Grandma from extraterrestrial kidnappers.
Motu Patlu Dino Invasion (2018)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 80 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Sourav Chakraborty, Mayur Vyas, Anil Datt
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 20
Motu and Patlu travel to the Mesozoic Era in a time machine and accidentally bring some dinosaurs back with them when they return to the present. I choose to believe this movie is based on the Dinosaur ride at Walt Disney World, which itself is a sequel to an animated movie of the same name.
Motu Patlu in Octopus World (2017)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 80 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Sourav Chakraborty, Vidit Kumar, Mayur Vyas
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 20
A goldfish needs Motu & Patlu’s help to escape an aquarium, only to find its sea-dwelling relatives imperiled by an octopus queen.
Motu Patlu VS Robo Kids (2019)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Sourav Chakraborty, Anil Dutt
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 20
Motu meets his match: three Robo Kids with super-strength!
Rudra: Secret of the Black Moon (2020)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 87 Minutes
Directors: Akshay Sanjeev Chavan, Sumit Das
Cast: Shailendra Pandey, Rohan, Mukesh Pandey
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 20
Kid magician Rudra heads to the Black Moon planet to vanquish a demon, only to discover that his spells don’t work there.
Rudra: The Rise of King Pharoah (2019)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Cast: Shailendra Pandey, Rohan, Mukesh Pandey
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 20
Kid magician Rudra saves the children of Mumbai from a resurrected mummy who thrives by stealing their life force.
Wild Dog (2021)
Language: Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu
Runtime: 145 Minutes
Director: Ahishor Solomon
Cast: Nagarjuna Akkineni, Kelly Dorji, Avijit Dutt
Genre: Action, Thriller | Added to Netflix: April 21
Wild Dog draws from a number of real-life terrorism incidents for its tale of an agent for the National Intelligence Agency (played by Nagarjuna Akkineni) in search of the mastermind behind a series of deadly attacks. Wild Dog was originally filmed in Telugu, but it’s also available with dubbed dialogue in Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil.
Searching for Sheela (2021) N
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 58 Minutes
Director: Shakun Batra
Cast: Ma Anand Sheela
Genre: Documentary, Biography | Added to Netflix: April 22
Indian-born Ma Anand Sheela was convicted of orchestrating the first and single largest bioterrorist attack on US soil in 1984. Decades later, she returned to India for a speaking tour where she was interviewed by news agencies and celebrity filmmaker Karan Johar, who is (not coincidentally) the producer of Searching for Sheela.
Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi (2019)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 115 Minutes
Director: Seema Pahwa
Cast: Deepika Amin, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Yamini Das
Genre: Comedy, Drama | Added to Netflix: April 25
Conflicts erupt when Ram Prasad’s family gathers in Lucknow to mourn his passing. Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi is based on a play written by actor Seema Pahwa, who makes her directorial debut with this film. Her husband, Manoj Pahwa, plays Ram Prasad’s eldest son.
One (2021)
Language: Malayalam
Runtime: 149 Minutes
Director: Santhosh Viswanath
Cast: Mammootty, Murali Gopy, Nimisha Sajayan
Genre: Drama, Thriller | Added to Netflix: April 27
Megastar Mammootty plays the powerful Chief Minister of Kerala. Faced with undeniable corruption among his fellow politicians, he must choose with whom his loyalties lie: his political party or the citizens he was elected to serve.
Motu Patlu: Deep Sea Adventure (2014)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 75 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty, Vinod Kulkarni, Mayur Vyas
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 30
Motu and Patlu explore the ocean floor after their ship sinks.
Motu Patlu: Khazaane Ki Race (2015)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 75 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty, Omee, Sankalp
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 30
It’s Motu & Patlu versus a don and his goons in a race for treasure.
Motu Patlu: Mission Moon (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 71 Minutes
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 30
An extraterrestrial villain is turning the moon’s soil to gold. Motu and Patlu to the rescue!
Motu Patlu in Dragon’s World (2017)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 78 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 30
Motu & Patlu’s new dragon friends need the duo’s help to fend off a nasty neighbor.
Motu Patlu in the Game of Zones (2019)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 87 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 30
Motu and Potlu find themselves in a Jumanji-type situation when they get trapped in a board game world.
Motu Patlu in Wonderland (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 75 Minutes
Director: Suhas Kadav
Cast: Saurav Chakraborty, Omi Sharma, Sankalp
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: April 30
A crash landing strands Motu and Potlu on a magical island.
The Disciple (2021) N
Language: Marathi
Runtime: 127 Minutes
Director: Chaitanya Tamhane
Cast: Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave
Genre: Drama, Music | Added to Netflix: April 30
In his pursuit of musical perfection, classical vocalist Sharad is told: “If you want to walk this path, learn to be lonely and hungry.” As years go by, Sharad wonders if his sacrifices are worth it if perfection can never be achieved. Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón executive produced The Disciple.
New Indian TV Series on Netflix: April 2021
The Big Day (2021) N
Language: Hindi
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 6
Genre: Wedding, Reality | Added to Netflix: April 7
A new collection of three episodes introduces six more couples as they navigate the challenges of interracial relationships, arranged marriages, and lavish destination weddings.
Which of the newly added Indian movies will you be watching? Let us know in the comments below!
